Notes for “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift
Satire: A literary work that mixes social and/or political criticism with irony, humor, even
absurdity in an effort to point out the failings of a particular political system or human nature.
The satirist usually hopes the criticism will bring about some kind of change.
Elements commonly found in a satire:
-irony (sarcasm)
-understatement
-hyperbole
-parody/mockery
-humor/wit
-double entendre
-Jonathan Swift was a writer and a social critic.
-He was born in Ireland but his parents were English. He disliked Ireland but spent most of his
life there. Despite his dislike for it and his unhappiness there, he hated even more the injustice of
England’s treatment of Ireland. Rich English noblemen owned most of the land in Ireland, and
they taxed the Irish heavily.
-The Irish suffered a great deal during Swift’s life:
-High rent and high property taxes from absentee landlords
-English laws that restricted Irish trade
-The negative attitude of the English Protestants toward the Irish Catholics
-Severe drought which led to the potato famine
-Swift’s proposal is a satiric work intended to shock the readers into making changes.
Narrator: A social planner, bothered by the sight of so many poor mothers and children in
Ireland; he offers a “practical” solution. The speaker is credible, educated, and serious.
Tone: Grimly ironic and mockingly serious. It is important to remember as you are reading that
Swift is not serious about this proposal but the narrator is. In the essay, Swift condemns the
English for being inhumane, the Irish for being passive, the speaker for being morally blind, and
the reader for accepting intolerable situations in the world.
Satire Today: